- Five Films to Watch About Stonewall … Besides Stonewall - 29 September, 2015
- Symphony: An interview with Raymond Yiu - 25 August, 2015
- Raymond Yiu’s Symphony to debut at BBC Proms - 12 August, 2015
No Love for Nickelback
I’m pretty sure whoever created the phrase ‘An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’ did not have this in mind. Nonetheless, one man is taking this statement to heart in a completely different sense.
While Nickelback does not have any dates scheduled in England, a new crowdfunding campaign has been launched in hopes of keeping it that way. The campaign, which is titled Don’t Let Nickel Back, is looking to raise $1000 to help ensure they do not come to the capital to play a gig. The exact quote from the Tilt.com page states, ‘In a similar vein, we are attempting to ensure that Canadian “rockers” Nickelback do not come to London, England to play a gig. With your help, we can ensure that the band do not scheduel any gigs here, do not attempt to come here – nor even phone here.’
Now, whether there is even the slightest possibility of them achieving this goal if they get the money? Probably not, but it’s not absolutely unfathomable either.
Craig Mandell, the campaign’s creator according to NME.com, did not come up with the inspiration to do this. He is friends with Andrew Goldin, the man behind successful raising money to get Foo Fighters to perform in Virginia last month using Kickstarter. Mandell even notes how this inspired him in the first paragraph of the campaign.
Don’t Let Nickel Back hopes to keep the band out of London by sending an influx of letters to the band’s management requesting the band does not play in London for the ‘foreseeable future’. For each $1 donation, a letter will be sent to Nickelback’s management on the backer’s behalf. For every $5 donation, a more ‘forceful’ letter will be sent insisting the band does not play in the city. For $10, backers can send an e-mail to the band’s management filled with explicit phrases, capital letters, and even a few angry emoticons that implores the band not to play there. The highest donation mark, which is a $50 donation, will get a copy of Nickelback’s music sent to the band. The campaign’s creator hopes that when the band here their music, they’ll retire immediately. Each perk comes with the bonus of not having to hear Nickelback in concert.
So far, the campaign has raised $110 out of its $1000 goal, and the campaign has 27 more days to go. Several people have claimed the $1 reward with eight people reclaiming the $5 reward and only four people claiming the $10 reward. To date, no one has donated $50 to have the band’s music sent to them.
It will be interesting to see how this campaign turns out, even though I highly doubt $1000 is going to be enough to keep the band out of the city. While Nickelback has been publicly decried as one of the most hated acts in rock, they still have a very large fan base. And judging from their past few albums, which have either gone gold, platinum or multi-platinum in multiple countries, it’s going to take a lot more than a few angry letters to keep them away from their fans.
Courtney Love to Become an Opera Singer
After a long career with many titles attached to her name, Courtney Love can now add yet another job to her repertoire in the entertainment business: opera singer.
The singer has signed on to be a performer for Kansas City Choir Boy, a non-traditional opera that is scheduled to play at the New York’s Prototype: Opera/Theater/Now Festival in early January.
The Prototype Festival’s page for the show gives a little more detail. The show is described as:
‘Kansas City Choir Boy is a theatricalized concept album about love altered by unexpected fate. A mystery told through flashbacks, the show tells the story of two lovers in small town America who separate when one goes in search of destiny and then disappears.’
Love is slated as a performer alongside the play’s composer, Todd Almond. The show will be directed by Kevin Newbury.
Enough from me, what about you? What stories caught your attention that you want to keep up with this week? Let me know, and stay tuned for next week’s Music News Roundup.
